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  Jake dropped his head, made a fist and punched his desk. Damn! She was right. He did not have time to look for and find another architect. And he’d done some research on J. Wythe. She was really good. Really, really good. But nothing ever mentioned that she was a she. As her hand reached the knob, he yelled out, “Wait.”

  She stopped at the door. He saw her take another deep breath before she turned to face him, hands folded in front of her. Very prim and proper. “Yes?”

  “You’re right.” He forced it out. He did not apologize often or well. “I was surprised, and I don’t like surprises. I’m still uncomfortable with a woman designing my house. However, I have done my research, and I’m pleased with the work I’ve seen from you. Therefore, would you please stay?”

  He knew he still sounded angry, but he was trying, damn it. After a long pause, she cocked her head to one side, placed her hand on her hip and answered, “Fine. I’ll take the job. And you will be thrilled with the result.”

  Chapter 4

  Jess might possibly hate this man. He had to be the most arrogant, stubborn ass she had ever met. And since she worked with plenty of men that could fit that description, that was saying something. However, since she was already getting design ideas in her head, she actually wanted to take this job. Even if it meant playing nice with him. Which could potentially border on the impossible.

  Another deep breath before she attempted to speak again.

  “So, since this has taken much longer to work out than I had planned, I would like to go see more of the property this afternoon. You and I can go over your requirements and details tomorrow, and then I’ll start on the design. I’ll bring you a few different styles and we can go from there. Will that work for you?”

  “Yes, that will be fine."

  He was still growling at her, but she pretended not to notice. “Good, then can I just wander around for a couple hours before I go to the hotel? Are there any areas I shouldn’t go? And would it be possible for someone to take me out to the actual home site you’re looking at? Or are you planning to level this house and build here?”

  “Whoa, wait a minute. What hotel?”

  “My hotel in Evanston, of course. I booked a room yesterday before I came here. Why, is there a hotel closer than that? Oh, and I need a rental car place as well. I’m sure they have one at the airport, but if there’s one closer I would appreciate it.”

  “Absolutely not.” He was shouting again. “You’re staying here.”

  He had just issued her an order, not an invitation. “Mr. Morgenstern, I would not feel appropriate staying in your home. The commute is not a problem, I’ll stay in Evanston.”

  “No, Ms. Wythe, if you want this job you will stay here. I’m afraid I must insist on it. This is going to be very difficult timing wise, I am aware, and I will not have you commuting from Evanston for five months.”

  “Five months? Are you serious? I’m not going to be here for five months! I’m here for a week or two and then I’ll come back periodically to check on things. I'm an architect, not a site supervisor.”

  Instead of answering, he reached over, picked up his phone and dialed. “Mr. Brundel, please.”

  Jess was furious. At this point she was just shy of ripping her hair out or stomping her feet.

  “Mr. Brundel, I have Jess Wythe here with me. I have a request, and she said I needed to run it by you first. Because of the tight schedule we will have on my house, along with my crazy schedule around the ranch here, I would like Ms. Wythe to stay in this area and supervise the build. From start to finish. I realize this will take away your top talent for many months, but it is extremely important to me. I would be happy to pay any additional costs you feel necessary for this service.” His voice was calm, cajoling. It was also the voice of a man who was used to getting what he wanted.

  Before he even hung up the phone Jess knew the answer. Crap!

  “Fine, I’ll stay in the area. That being the case, I’ll need to find a room to rent instead of a hotel. Would it be possible for someone here to help me with that?” She knew she sounded exactly like she felt. Resigned and frustrated all at the same time. This was not her job, but with the money on the line, along with the potential to expand into this area, there was no way she was getting out of this without losing her job. Ah, hell... who was she kidding? She probably sounded like a petulant child.

  “Ms. Wythe, I don’t believe you have ever been on a working ranch before, have you? No? Okay, then let me explain something. My days are not my own. I cannot schedule an appointment with any expectation of actually being there. Especially as we go into late spring with all our animals birthing. If you need to see me, you need to work around my schedule. You can’t do that if you’re an hour away, more if there’s a storm. So, you’ll be staying here. This house is old and small, but there are still several guest rooms. The only people in residence here are Marsha and me. I’ll have her show you to your room.”

  This had been issued again as an order, not a request. He walked past her and opened the office door, a clear indication that she was to exit. She walked out as he grabbed the larger of the two suitcases.

  As she passed him, she finally got a hint of his size. She’d known he was tall, but he was huge! She suddenly felt very aware of her small five foot four frame, and, not for the first time, wished for a few more inches. Have I brought any of my higher heels, or only the sensible ones? She might need to go shopping. As that thought raced through her head, she rolled her eyes. She’d only packed for a week or so. She would definitely need to get someone to ship her more clothes. Maybe she could call Cindy and have her go over and send some stuff to her. She would need more jeans and work clothes for sure. And she needed to arrange for her neighbor to come and water her plants. She sighed. She hadn’t really planned to be gone long, especially not for five months. She had a lot of phone calls to make.

  “Mr. Morgenstern, I think I need to change our schedule a bit, if possible. It’s just occurring to me that I have many phone calls I need to make to arrange to be gone for an extended period. Would it be possible to meet with you tomorrow morning to go and look around the property?”

  “That’s fine, get settled and we’ll start tomorrow right after morning chores. Say, around seven?”

  Seven a.m. was after morning chores? “Sure, that would be fine. I’ll see you then.” This would give her a chance to calm herself down a little before she had to deal with him again.

  He led her into the kitchen, where Marsha was just taking her rolls out of the oven.

  “Marsha, please show Ms. Wythe to the blue room. She’ll be staying here with us.”

  “Thank you Mr. Morgenstern. I’ll meet you in your office at seven a.m. tomorrow? And please, call me Jessica.”

  “Fine, I’ll see you then.” He stomped away. He literally stomped away.

  Jess watched him storm out of the kitchen. “What an ass," she muttered under her breath. The soft chuckle behind her informed her she hadn't been quiet enough.

  She quickly spun on her heel, facing Marsha with a little grimace. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. It’s just been a very long day, and Mr. Morgenstern did not take well to my being here. Please don’t tell him I said that.”

  Marsha laughed outright this time. “Not to worry, child, I’ve heard him called worse things. Let’s go get you settled, huh? Then you can change out of that suit, and into something more comfortable. I sure hope you brought some jeans. That outfit will get destroyed around here.”

  Marsha continued to chatter while she led Jess upstairs and through another hall to the bedroom at the back. “Now, here you go. I’ll be in the kitchen, so just let me know if you need anything, anything at all. Supper will be served at six, although after your trip if you want something sooner, just ask.”

  “No, that’s okay. I brought snacks with me on the flight. You don’t need to wait on me. I just need to make some phone calls today, get things taken care of back home. I’ll be fine in here
, if that’s okay, until dinner time.”

  “Sure, sure child. We’ll see you then. Oh, and the bathroom is right down the hall.”

  As soon as Marsha closed the door behind her Jess breathed an enormous sigh of relief. She was exhausted. Just being around that man was an endurance test. She could only hope that once the design was in place she wouldn’t see too much of him. He’d said he would be very busy over the next few months. She certainly hoped that was true. He was obviously displeased with her. He seemed almost to hate her, although she didn’t know why. She didn’t respond well to him either. He seemed to bring out the worst in her, making her angry almost on sight. Then why did she find him so incredibly attractive?

  Chapter 5

  Jess clicked her cell phone closed, grateful that she had decent reception out here. He must have put a tower somewhere on the ranch. Cindy was going to go to her house tonight, and ship out more clothes and a few other essentials she needed tomorrow morning. She would have to make sure Marsha knew to look for a package in the next few days. She had arranged to have Mrs. Jannell pick up her mail, and forward any bills out to this address. She had called all her utility companies and told them she was out of town, so nothing would be shut off if a bill got missed. And she’d called Mike and told him she would need him out here soon, and asked if he could make arrangements to stay here. For five months! Unbelievable! She would have to go home for her sister’s baby shower and of course for the birth. She had also called Dana and told her what was going on. Dana was less worried about Jess getting to Virginia for the shower and more worried about her being alone on a ranch with a cowboy. It’d taken Jess more than fifteen minutes to convince her that she was nowhere near alone with anyone.

  She flopped backwards on the bed, grateful to have things arranged, and she glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. It was already five forty-five! She didn’t even have time to change before dinner. She took a minute to look around the room. It really was a blue room. The furniture was old fashioned, although attractive in a shabby chic kind of way, but everything else was blue. The walls were light blue, the bedding was a white and blue floral pattern, and there was even a light blue lampshade on the bedside lamps. Fortunately, it had hard wood floors, not blue carpeting, which was probably the only saving grace. She could imagine that twenty years ago, this had been the height of fashion. And no one had been in here since. Small changes could make such a difference in this house, except of course the kitchen. It needed a massive overhaul. But still, there was so much charm here. She hoped that Mr. Morgenstern would let her carry that same homey feel over to the new house.

  She got up, slipped her shoes back on, and headed to the door. As she glanced in the mirror, she realized she had to pull her hair back up. She had taken it down while she was on the phone, to give her head a rest. She stood in front of the mirror and threw it up into the quickest twist she could manage. Not as neat as she would’ve liked, but it would have to do. As she headed down the hall to the kitchen, she resolved to be much more polite, and more professional, to her new client. Her behavior had been unacceptable, and she needed to apologize. She really didn’t understand why she’d been so angry, but it couldn’t continue. She would be courteous, even if it killed her. And with this man, it just might.

  She came into the kitchen and saw lines of people walking through, grabbing plates, dishing up food. There was laughter, noise, organized chaos. She loved it on sight. This was how a family should be, how a kitchen should be. Crowded and noisy and wonderful. All the ranch hands were in here, some boys barely over eighteen, and some of the older men who were divorced or never married. And over it all Marsha reigned supreme. She was slapping hands, giving orders and directing traffic. And they all listened to her, no matter the age. Jess couldn’t help but smile. Until she saw him sitting at the table in the corner. Glaring at her. She sighed. What had she done now?

  As he looked her over, his eyes moving from her head to her feet, his scowl got even deeper. Obviously he disapproved of her clothing choice. Well, since she had been busy meeting his demands, that was just too damn bad.

  “Good evening Ms. Wythe, I see you have yet to unpack. I should mention now, that your clothes won’t work out here. I certainly hope you brought something more appropriate to wear.”

  Be polite, Jess, be polite. “Well, yes Mr. Morgenstern, I did bring some jeans and work clothes, although only a couple of sets. I wasn’t planning on being here for more than a week. I haven’t changed because I was busy making arrangements for my elongated stay.” Okay, so there was a little sarcasm there, but I really am trying. “I’m having my things sent to me tomorrow morning. So, don’t fear that I’ll be dressed inappropriately. And please, call me Jess. Ms. Wythe is my mother.”

  After a long pause, during which several expressions ran across his face, he finally replied.

  “Jess, then. Please call me Jake, no one around here calls me Mr. Morgenstern.”

  Oh, thank God. He was going to go along with her polite distance. “Thank you. And I need to apologize. For my behavior earlier? It was….inappropriate for me to raise my voice to you. I’m sincerely sorry.”

  “Whatever, it’s done. Tomorrow morning we’ll go take a look at the site and the land around here. Then we can talk about some of the details and things I want specifically in the new house. As you can see, we’ll need a larger kitchen, among other things.”

  “Yes, I can see that, although, this one’s kind of perfect.”

  She finally found an honest smile to give this man and it simply made him scowl harder. Obviously there was just no pleasing him. She decided then and there to keep as much distance from him as possible. Avoidance was clearly the best policy in this situation. Jess sat down with her food, watching everyone while she ate. Just sitting here in this room, watching people she didn’t even know, she could still feel home and family. She could see the practicality in updating this kitchen, the appliances, the sink, maybe even the counter tops. But she would have to be very careful not to lose the feel. And practically speaking, it should be bigger, but it would lose something in the process. She found herself smiling, without thought, watching the way everyone interacted. Maybe her time here wouldn’t be so bad. She could grow to like this place.

  The next morning Jess got up, hopped through the shower, and dressed in another suit. She pulled her hair back, put in her contacts, and headed down to the kitchen hoping for some coffee. It was too early to contemplate eating, but she wanted a little time to look around some more before she met with Jake. She wasn’t due to meet with him until seven and it was just after six. That should give her plenty of time. She would look around a bit and then go throw on some quick makeup. When she walked into the kitchen, she saw him standing there, alone, drinking coffee and looking out the window. He turned when he heard her come in. Then he glared at her.

  “What the devil are you wearing?” he growled.

  “Business attire. We have a meeting this morning.” Again, she had that very cool tone.

  “I told you yesterday, we wear jeans around here. I’m assuming you know what those are. Being from Texas and all. Besides, I just don’t see you getting on a horse in that getup.”

  She glared at him. The calm and cool was already running thin, and she’d been with him for less than two minutes. She took a deep breath. “You didn’t mention a horse. Are we riding out to the site then?”

  “Where are you from, really? It’s not Texas. Wrong accent, especially when you get annoyed.”

  “I am not annoyed and where I’m from is none of your concern. I’ll be changed and dressed appropriately before our meeting. Now, will you please direct me to the coffee mugs?”

  He smiled, but it wasn't a kind smile. Sarcastic laughter rung through every word as he said, “Sitting right by the coffee. I’ll meet you out at the stables at seven thirty.”

  She turned around and sure enough, there were the mugs. Oh, Lord. That man just ticked her off. She rolled her eyes, p
oured some coffee and headed to her room to change.

  As she stood there looking at her limited clothing selection, she realized that she hadn’t brought any of her lighter weight over-shirts. She ordinarily wore jeans, a fitted T-shirt or tank top and a loose long-sleeve of some sort. The only thing she had with her right now was a heavier weight flannel. She’d been expecting to need it in the evening, not daytime. Oh well, it would have to work. She was not going to meet him in just her T-shirt. She also didn’t have her riding boots with her. After a quick phone call to Cindy asking her to please grab those as well, she threw on her work boots. They would have to suffice. Knowing she’d be out on a horse and probably getting dirty, she decided to forego the makeup in favor of sunscreen. Okay, not very professional, but it made more sense.

  Now, where were the stables?

  When she finally found them, she was a few minutes late, but not too bad. She found him waiting for her by a beautiful Appaloosa, already saddled, and a much bigger horse. He looked to be possibly Appaloosa, but much too large.

  * * * * *

  “You’re late. This is Lady. Lady’s Maid, actually, but we call her Lady.” Jess looked good. Really good, actually. Casual was much better on her than business. Even with that God awful flannel thing she was wearing. What is that about? It’s way too hot for that today. “You might want to leave that shirt thing here. It’s not exactly cool out.”

  “No thank you, I’m fine. Thank you for the horse. Lady looks beautiful. Sorry, I was late. I had to find the stables. It was easier said than done.”

  He headed around to help her on the horse, right as she hooked a foot in the stirrup and swung her leg up. Looking down at him, she said, “Ready when you are.”

  Okay, so apparently she can ride, at least enough to know how to mount a horse. He swung up onto Satan and led the way out. “It’s not all that far, but I wanted to show you some of the land as well. Also, there’s a back road that all your construction trucks will have to come in on. I can’t have them coming through the main ranch area. Did you bring some water? We’ll be out here a while.”